Any Form of Exercise Can Help With Postpartum Depression, Study Says

The first few days after having a baby can be rough. Hormones go haywire, regular sleep schedules don’t exist, and it becomes difficult to summon the energy necessary for welcoming a new human to the world. Sometimes, though, the “baby blues” drag on for weeks and can lead to a diagnosis of postpartum depression (PPD). And it’s far from uncommon; 1 in 7 women, even those who have never had a depressive episode in their life, have experienced PPD.

Exercise, however, can help stave off some of those struggles, according to a June study released in the journal Birth. In a new analysis of existing data from 1996 to 2016, researchers found that moms who were physically active during pregnancy and after birth experienced fewer depressive symptoms.

And though getting up and exercising can seem impossible when you’re feeling down, the study points out it doesn’t take a love of working out to reap the positive cognitive benefits of regular physical activity. Women in the trials experienced benefits from a variety of activities, including stretches, walking, aerobic activity, yoga and Pilates.

The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology has recommended since 2009 that both pregnant and postpartum women should engage in 30 minutes of exercise most days a week; this finding confirms how helpful that can be.

“Exercise is often the first thing that gets crossed off the list when there’s a new baby,” Lewis says in an interview with Reuters Health. “It’s important to take care of yourself through exercise to keep that wellbeing high.”

There’s a lot of room for flexibility in adapting the study’s findings to your life. Researchers didn’t draw a definitive conclusion about the type, length, frequency or intensity level of exercise that had the best outcomes. So if P90X workouts aren’t really your thing, taking a walk with baby in a stroller can work just as well for improving your mental health.

If you’re struggling with postpartum depression, you’re not alone. There’s a whole community of moms on The Bump who are going through the same things you are.

PPD episodes even hit celebrities like Chrissy Teigen, who has been vocal about her experiences after the birth of her first child, Luna. She recently told Marie Claire that she still wants to have another baby with husband John Legend, even though she previously struggled after giving birth. She talked even more candidly about that experience in personal essay she wrote for Glamour in March.

“I love John and Luna more than I can imagine loving anything, and John and I still hope to give Luna a few siblings,” she wrote. “Postpartum hasn’t changed that.”

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